Medical Students’ Engagement and Academic Performance in Radiology through Blended and Online Learning

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift from traditional face-to-face (F2F) learning to online and blended learning modalities in medical education. This study evaluates engagement and academic performance in radiology among medical students in online versus blended learning. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the medical students who completed a two-week radiology posting at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) from 2020 to 2023. Data were collected through questionnaires assessing student enjoyment, preferences, perceived helpfulness of learning methods, and learning outcomes, followed by tests on knowledge retention and interpretation skills. A total of 433 students participated: 179 in the online group and 254 in the blended group. The mean age was 23.5 years, with 70.7% being female. In the online group, 57% enjoyed virtual learning, and 65.4% found asynchronous sessions helpful. In the blended group, 76.8% enjoyed F2F learning, and 82.7% found F2F sessions beneficial. Both groups reported satisfactory knowledge acquisition and adequate clinical skills. The E-learning Enrichment and Advancement Platform (eLEAP) was positively perceived. Both groups achieved comparable test performance with a median score of 4; however, the online group had a slightly higher mean score (p = 0.006). Both online and blended learning approaches were well received, with high satisfaction and positive perceptions of the learning experiences. Both methods have their own merits: online learning offers greater flexibility, while blended learning is preferred for interactions and practical components. The positive feedback and comparable performance suggest both methods are effective in radiology education. Future research should explore optimising the online and F2F components to enhance learning outcomes further.